Marathon County man pleads not guilty of animal neglect

Stephen Marty, 35, of Bevent is accused of leaving three dogs chained outside of a home with no food or water for an extended period of time. Officers found the dogs May 26th with empty bowls. The complaint says Marty told investigators he had to be out of town for three days and didn’t have anyone to care for them.

Prosecutors say animal neglect and abuse cases are more common now because more people are reporting what they see.

Marty was released from jail on a $500 cash bond. For now, a neighbor is caring for the dogs, and that neighbor has to keep the District Attorney’s office informed about the health of the animals.

Marty will be back in court July 30th for a pretrial conference, and again August 25th for a plea hearing. If the case goes to trial, a jury would hear the case in October.